Bumble Bee Blinds Franchise

Bumble Bee Blinds’ franchisor, HPB Blinds and Shutters LLC, was organized in Pennsylvania in June 2022, and began offering franchises in September 2022. Its principal office is in Omaha, Nebraska. The company’s predecessor, Omaha Blinds and Shutters, L.L.C., was formed in Nebraska on July 13, 2015, and operates window-covering businesses in Omaha and Lincoln. HPB Blinds and Shutters acquired certain predecessor assets and confidential information on June 30, 2022. These dates distinguish the operating business’s history from the later franchise company.

The franchise system offers residential and commercial blinds, shutters, shades, drapery and hardware installation, plus repair and replacement services. Its operating model combines customer estimates, scheduled installations and a team of qualified employees or reputable subcontractors. Franchisees use the system’s procedures for sales, job estimating, scheduling and managing work. The franchisor’s parent is JEZ Investments LLC; affiliated companies in the HorsePower Brands group provide services such as franchise administration and accounting.

The April 20, 2026 FDD describes both single-territory ownership and a multi-unit offering of two to five businesses. Multiple-territory investment estimates assume one centralized approved location and shared vehicles, inventory and equipment; the multi-unit addendum permits one physical location only when the territories are contiguous. This provides a documented route to owning additional territories, subject to separate franchise agreements and the multi-unit requirements, rather than a promise of automatic expansion.

According to the April 20, 2026 FDD, Bumble Bee Blinds’ initial training has three phases. The franchisee or operating principal and up to two additional representatives attend, including the general manager or designated manager. Each owner of a franchisee business entity must also complete the program. All three phases must be completed to the franchisor’s satisfaction before operations begin and within 180 days of signing the franchise agreement.

Phases I and II generally run over seven weeks online, through self-paced courses and webinars, with timing adjusted for the participant’s experience. Phase I lists 26.58 hours, with 28.83 hours of optional courses listed separately. Phase II lists 66.25 classroom hours and no on-the-job hours; that total includes a half-hour course marked optional. Topics include business formation, insurance, staffing, budgeting, marketing, sales, window-treatment products, measuring, quoting, ordering and business software.

Phase III generally takes five days at the Omaha, Nebraska facility or another designated facility. Its table lists 31.75 hours of on-the-job training and no classroom hours, including product knowledge, measuring, quoting, motorization and practice in-home consultations. Sessions typically run monthly or when minimum class sizes are reached. The franchisor may substitute virtual instruction for in-person training.

The initial tuition is $4,995, payable within 45 days of signing, for the franchisee and up to two additional attendees. It includes Phase III training, lodging and certain meals. Travel, meals outside formal training hours, other living expenses and employee wages remain the franchisee’s responsibility. Additional or replacement attendees cost $2,500 each, subject to availability. Multiple territories require one initial training program and one tuition payment for the covered attendees. The franchisee must train employees who do not attend the initial program before they perform their duties and continue employee instruction under the operations manual. Before offering an approved specialized service that requires further training or certification, the franchisee must complete that requirement at its own expense; the reviewed clause does not give a fixed course duration or certification fee. Under the agreement, the owner or a principal devotes full-time attention to management, with a designated manager permitted through written approval. The majority equity owner must also work directly in daily operations full time unless the franchisor agrees otherwise in writing; manager approval alone should not be treated as an automatic waiver of that separate requirement. That manager must complete initial training before assuming managerial duties, and a replacement must complete training within 30 days of hiring. At least one trained individual must staff the business at all times, and the franchisor may require a trained manager at each additional location.

Before opening, the franchisor defines the protected territory, provides access to its operations manual and intranet, supplies required equipment and supplier lists, coordinates brand marketing and provides an opening package upon payment. It also supplies dedicated business phone and email accounts and offers guidance on opening procedures. Franchisees secure an approved home office or coworking space and storage, obtain required licenses and permits, and handle their premises and employees. The disclosed opening estimate is 150–180 days, with completion of opening requirements due within 180 days of signing.

Additional and refresher training may be optional or required under Item 6 and the franchise agreement, even though Item 11 describes elected courses. The current assistance training fee is $500 per person per day. Training can take place online, in Omaha, at another designated facility or on site; the agreement provides 30 days’ notice for required additional or refresher courses. Owners, managers, estimators, installers and other employees may be required to attend. Remedial training may follow an inspection that identifies noncompliance. Franchisees pay their attendance expenses and, for on-site training, the franchisor’s staff expenses. Written requests for further assistance depend on staff availability and may involve fees. The reviewed provisions do not specify a fixed continuing-training duration or number of hours.

The FDD requires franchisees and applicable management to attend the annual conference, with a current $1,000 fee per person and a $1,000 charge for missing the registration deadline. Travel, lodging, meals and salaries are additional owner expenses. Item 6 permits a fee increase of up to 10%, while the agreement’s fee provision states a $1,000 cap; this difference needs clarification in the applicable agreement. The franchisor selects the conference location and agenda, and the reviewed provisions do not specify its duration.

After opening, support includes periodic operational advice, updated standards and supplier information, and designated 30-minute progress meetings. Advice may be delivered through meetings, phone, email, the intranet or other media and can involve assistance fees. The agreement permits progress meetings to be suspended or eliminated. The contact center processes and routes customer inquiries and work orders, but appointments are not guaranteed and the service may be discontinued. Required technology, customer-management, accounting and marketing services carry separate fees. Local advertising requires at least $20,000 during the first 90 days, then the greater of $2,000 a month or 5% of collected revenue, excluding the $500 monthly digital management fee. A national brand fund had not been established as of this FDD; the franchisor reserves the right to establish one.

Source: Bumble Bee Blinds FDD issued April 20, 2026, Items 1, 5, 6, 7, 11 and 15 and Franchise Agreement Sections 6, 7, 8 and 11.

Bumble Bee Blinds gives a sales-oriented owner a way to build a local window-covering business around residential and commercial customers, a defined product range and established estimating and operating procedures. The approved home-office or coworking model and use of qualified employees or subcontractors let the owner focus on customer relationships and managing delivery. Buyers considering more than one territory can also review the documented multi-unit model. The strongest fit is an owner prepared to develop a team, follow the system and actively manage the business.

Explore the operating model in Bumble Bee Blinds Franchise: Costs, Operations and Owner Fit.